Take That - Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald - have become the first band to sell a million copies of one album this millennium

Take That have become the first band to sell a million copies of one album this millennium.

The group - Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald - released 'The Circus' just 19 days ago yet it has already passed the magic seven-figure sales mark.

Only Oasis' 1997 release, 'Be Here Now' has sold a million copies faster, taking just 11 days.

Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot said: "It has been an incredible run for Take That over the past few weeks, which should continue right through to Christmas. The foursome have demonstrated once again just how much they are cherished by the British public."

Despite their impressive sales, Martin thinks the band is unlikely to overtake Duffy's 'Rockferry' as the biggest-selling album of 2008.

He added: "They will have to go some to catch and overtake 'Rockferry' and establish 'The Circus' as the biggest-selling album of 2008 - but it is not impossible.

"At the current rate of sales who would put it past them?"

Take That's previous album, 2006's 'Beautiful World' is the third-fastest album to reach one million sales, taking 27 days.

Only three other albums have sold one million copies in under a month. Robson and Jerome's self-titled album took 28 days in 1995, as did The Beatles' 2000 compilation '1'.

The prototype boy band have re-lit their own fire and returned to cash in those nostalgia dollars, and have proved far more credible than any of us could have imagined. Now reduced to a three-piece as Jason Orange bows out but Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald soldier on.